Justice Peter McClellan has deferred the hearing until February to ensure George Pell, pictured, can appear in person.
Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

The chair of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse has refused to allow Cardinal George Pell to appear by video link, instead deferring the hearing until February to ensure Pell can appear in person.

A lawyer representing Pell, Allan Myers, made an application for Pell to give evidence next week via video link from Rome rather than appear in person, citing health reasons.

Myers told the commission chair, Justice Peter McClellan, that Pell “deeply regrets this and has been preparing himself for this duty for some time”.

McClellan refused the request, and said he would rather Pell appear in person. He said given there were two complex matters Pell was due to give evidence on, and after technical problems when Pell previously appeared before the commission via video link, he would defer Pell’s evidence until February, when the third part of hearings into abuse within the Catholic diocese of Ballarat are due to be heard.

Victims present in the court room applauded McClellan’s decision. A substantial crowd was expected next when Pell was due to appear, and extra provisions had been made for the media to cover it.

“If the cardinal’s health has not sufficiently improved by then to enable him to travel, we will further consider the position, which may include further delaying his evidence to a date when he can safely travel to Australia,” McClellan said.

NEW Pell’s office in Rome on Friday revealed more detail about the cardinal’s health condition, saying the Australian had been suffering from an unspecified “heart condition” for some time.

“His symptoms have recently worsened, with a specialist cardiologist in Rome advising only a few days ago that it is not safe for him to undertake long haul flights in his current condition,” the statement said.

“Cardinal Pell realises there may be some who will question the decision to remain in Rome; however it would be unwise for him not to heed medical advice. The Cardinal has consistently expressed his intention to do everything possible to assist the work of the Royal Commission,” the statement added. NEW ENDS

McClellan said solicitors for Pell first emailed the commission about Pell’s health on Thursday night to say Pell was affected by serious health conditions that in the opinion of his treating specialists, made his travel to Australia unsafe.

Pell’s solicitors requested McClellan meet privately with Myers on Friday to discuss allowing him to appear by video link. McClellan told the commission he rejected that request for confidentiality.

“It is not appropriate that the essential requests contained in the letter be confidential, and it was not appropriate for me to meet with Mr Myers on a confidential basis,” he said.

“I have not done so.”

Stephen Woods – who was abused by the notorious paedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale and the convicted paedophile brother Robert Charles Best while a student at St Alipius primary school – told Guardian Australia that he was deeply angered that Pell would not be appearing next week.

“The church is fucking desperate,” he said. “When are the tens of thousands of victims around Australia going to see some justice against such a patently corrupt organisation?”

Woods described McClellan as “brilliant” for insisting Pell appear in person.

“It’s good to see someone is standing up to this organisation,” he said. “McClellan seems to have heard enough to see that religions need to be held accountable to the laws of the land.”

Pell, Australia’s highest-ranking cleric, was due to give evidence about child sexual abuse that occurred in institutions run by Catholic church authorities in and around Ballarat, and evidence about measures taken by the archdiocese of Melbourne to investigate child sexual abuse, known within the church as “the Melbourne Response”, before Melbourne’s county court.

The hearing was due to be heard in Ballarat, but was moved to the county court due to a high level of interest from the public, especially victims, who wanted to attend in person. Pell was due to appear between 16 and 18 December.

It was not disclosed to the commission what Pell’s health problems were specifically, only that his health concerns involved his blood pressure.

David Risdale, who is the nephew and victim of notorious pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale, said the victims had waited long enough to hear from Pell.

In the first round of hearings in May, the commission heard allegations that Pell tried to bribe David Ridsdale to keep quiet about his abuse. He said he was shocked that Pell would not be appearing next week.

“I’m disgusted,” he said. “I have spent the last year dealing with the stress. I’ve flown from London. I didn’t use my blood pressure to prevent me from getting here.

“I’m not disappointed, I’m furious.”

However, he said he was pleased McClellan responded as he did, and that Pell probably expected to be given permission to appear via video link.